At the Supreme Court, Trump aims to cut the power of judges again

Key Points:

• The Trump administration has appealed to the US Supreme Court to limit federal judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions that block federal agency actions, seeking to restrict judicial relief to only the plaintiffs involved in a case.
• This appeal aims to curtail the longstanding power of courts under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to invalidate agency regulations broadly, potentially allowing controversial policies to remain in effect for years despite being deemed unlawful.
• The case involves a regulation addressing "surprise" medical bills, which was partly voided nationwide by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals; the administration does not challenge the ruling's legality but opposes its nationwide scope.
• Supporters of the APA's broad judicial authority argue it is essential to prevent executive overreach and ensure uniform application of regulations, while opponents, including several Republican-led states, warn that limiting this power could undermine state sovereignty and checks on federal agencies.
• The Supreme Court's 2025 ruling already restricted nationwide injunctions in a case involving Trump's birthright citizenship policy, and this new appeal seeks to extend those constraints to other forms of judicial relief under the APA.